Various types of connectors are employed for connecting between two or more optical fibers in an optical communications system. Each connector relies upon some means for centering and aligning the cores between the optical fiber to be connected in order that little light is lost at the point of contact. One means for aligning the cores of two opposing optical fibers is that proposed within U.S. patent application Ser. No. 613,390 (Kao 12-9), filed Sept. 15, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,796 and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. This connector relies upon the principle that three points of contact are required to center a cylindrical rod. This mechanism is similar to that employed within the moveable jaws of a chucking mechanism similar to that used, for example, in electric hand-drills. In the aforementioned application three equi-distant cylindrical rods are employed to encompass an optical fiber such that each rod contacts the fiber at only one point. Other means are used to physically connect the fibers while the three-rod centering mechanism insures that the fibers remain in optical alignment during the coupling operation.
The purpose of this invention is to describe methods and apparatus for coupling one or a plurality of optical fibers to a corresponding one or a corresponding plurality of optical fibers in an optical communications system without the need for the three cylindrically aligned rods as described above.